Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Wiring harness hell... need help


Recommended Posts

Got home from the lake late last night, and forgot to pull out the wiring harness after unhitching the trailer. I'm having a heck of a time getting it wired up correctly, now. None of the diagrams I can find online have wires the color of mine.

Here's what I have:

post-16647-0-72856200-1342372174_thumb.j

So white is ground - I can chase that one to the trailer tongue. Assume black is power, as it should be.

How can I figure out the other two pairs? Green/Brown and Yellow/Brown?

I was hoping yellow and green belonged as shown here, but no luck:

post-16647-0-07054600-1342372450_thumb.j

I guess what I need to know, most, is if 1 pair is turn signals, and the other pair driving/brakes? Or does one wire from each pair comprise the turn signals?

At one point I had all the signals working, but turning on the headlights activated the brake lights. Ugh. So frustrating. Any help appreciated.

Link to comment

Yellow is left turn.

Green is right turn.

Browns are running lights for each side and will get connected together at the plug.

White is correct at ground.

Black should be reverse for brake release depending on type of system (center).

Can verify all of this with a drill battery or car battery and some jumper wires.

Edited by jk13
Link to comment

Yellow is left turn.

Green is right turn.

Browns are running lights for each side and will get connected together at the plug.

White is correct at ground.

Black should be reverse for brake release depending on type of system (center).

Can verify all of this with a drill battery or car battery and some jumper wires.

Ah ha! Duh, it never dawned on me to put the browns together. Love the drill battery idea, too. This is a huge help, thanks! (As soon as it stops pouring I'm headed outside to try, again.)

Link to comment

Black should be reverse for brake release depending on type of system (center).

OK. I just ran my tests with an old battery. The black wire makes a clicking sound inside the trailer tongue. So does that confirm that it's my reverse brake release? About to wire up using the etrailer schematic linked above.

Link to comment

Bah. So I'm wired up correctly at this point, but no left turn signal. When I turn on driving lights that light will illuminate, but not right away. Weak ground? Failing bulb?

Gonna start with the ground since it appears to be three separate wires spliced with butt end connectors. Maybe one of the connections hot pulled hard enough to make it bad, though I wonder why right signal works fine. I'll try a new tail light if that doesn't help, and bust out the multimeter for the truck end since I now know which blade controls that light.

I'll post back the ultimate fix when I get one for the benefit of the next poor guy in my shoes.

Link to comment

SOLVED. Finally!

Soon2BV, you were right. I blew a fuse at some point during my initial mis-wiring. (I know all lights worked prior to me driving off with the harness still plugged in.) I just used the truck owner's guide to locate the fuse for the trailer signal that wasn't working and checked it. It was blown.

For next time (there's always a next time) I ordered this: http://www.amazon.co...ils_o00_s00_i00 to save time.

Lessons learned:

  • There are or can be separate fuses for trailer wiring in your truck
  • A drill battery makes a simple and easy trailer light tester
  • Best wiring diagrams are on eTrailer.com: http://www.etrailer....faq-wiring.aspx
  • Brake release wire, if your trailer has one, may be black instead of purple
  • Check your ground connection. Mine was frayed at the trailer connection point making once side illuminate weakly.

As always, much thanks to the crew. I learn so much here, and you're good people.

Edited by slap
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...